Whither WiMAX? What a New Standard for Wireless Data May Mean for Your Business

Whither WiMAX? What a New Standard for Wireless Data May Mean for Your Business

Article excerpt

The advent of wireless communications via phone and Internet changed the way we do business. Cell phones, PDAs, notebooks, and other wireless devices accompany business travelers and field agents wherever they roam, and so do problems with limited service areas. That may soon be resolved by the pending arrival of WiMAX.

WiMAX is an industry coalition advancing IEEE 802.16 broadband wireless access standards, and like WiFi before it, the coalition has lent its name to the technology. It is claimed WiMAX networks will provide voice and high-speed data access over several miles, extending last-mile connectivity (from the local carrier to the subscriber) to cities, suburbs, and rural areas alike. WiFi permits data rates of 11 megabits per second (Mbps) over distances of up to a few hundred feet; WiMAX extends the broadcast range of a single source to six miles or more under optimal conditions.

Early rollout of WiMAX will be fixed locations, with point-to-point communications similar to DSL, but without the wires. …